2019 NBA Finals: 5 takeaways from Game 1

The Toronto Raptors protected home-court in Game 1 of the 2019 NBA Finals, defeating the Golden State Warriors 118-109. Here are five takeaways from the game.

So much for the Game 1 curse.

With many of their players playing in their first ever NBA Finals, the Toronto Raptors looked like the team with championship experience in their Game 1 victory, opening up the 2019 NBA Finals with a 118-109 win over the Golden State Warriors.

Although the Dubs were playing without Kevin Durant, the Raptors didn’t make the mistake of taking the three-time champs lightly, leading for almost the entire contest and batting away each Golden State run with one of their own.

Pascal Siakam led the way with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists in his first ever Finals game, while Kawhi Leonard added a 23-8-5 stat line despite a rough shooting night. Marc Gasol was huge in the first half, ultimately finishing his night with 20 points and seven boards.

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Stephen Curry carried the Warriors’ offense with 34 points, five assists and five rebounds, while Klay Thompson chipped in 21 points. Draymond Green finished with a 10-10-10 triple-double, dropping the Dubs to 29-2 all-time in games where he records a triple-double.

Aside from the obvious takeaway that the Warriors are NOT, in fact, better without Kevin Durant, what did Game 1 tell us about this matchup? Which factors will be prominent throughout the series, and which can be chalked up to one-time flukes? Here’s a look at the five biggest takeaways from the series opener of the 2019 NBA Finals.